A Summary of the USS Soley Reunion
Norfolk, Virginia, 23-27 April 2014
The 18th
Reunion of the USS Soley (DD-707) Reunion
Association was attended by 38 shipmates, 33 wives & significant others, 3
widows & 2 of their daughters, 1 daughter & her husband, and 8 other
guests, for a grand total of 86.� The
reunion began on Wednesday, 23 April, as attendees arrived throughout the day
from all parts of the country.�
Two Plank owners were
in attendance.� Mike Masciola and his
wife Jean returned for their 13th reunion. �It was great to have them with us.� The other Plank owner and his wife were
attending their first Soley reunion.� A
big welcome to Bill and Jane McMurdy.�
Bill served on the Soley from 1944 to 1946 as a Seaman 1st
Class.� The McMurdys traveled all the way
from Scottsdale, Arizona to be with us. Bill is still working as a barber, on
his feet all day. Ouch, my aching back!�
Plank owner Al
Schowalter, who has attended many reunions, was unable to attend but sent me a
nice note sending his best regards to everyone.�
Hope to see you next time, Al.
Widows of deceased shipmates
attending this year�s reunion included Pat Kranack, Ernestine Eble, joined by
her daughter Lynn, and Helene Wallace, joined by her daughter Paula.� It was great to see them again.� Another widow, Joanne Broderick who is a
regular attendee, was unable to attend and was missed by all. �Joanne did send a note with a generous
donation to the Association and wished everyone well. We are always happy and
proud to have these members of the Soley family continue to be a part of our
reunions.
We also welcomed 5
shipmates and 4 wives who were attending their 1st reunion:� Don & Dene Cook, George & Carolyn
Stamps, Bill & Jane McMurdy, Chuck & Lynn Morton, and Lew Jones.
Hope you enjoyed yourselves
and will be back at the next reunion.��
If I missed anyone or listed you by mistake, I apologize.
I must mention that
among our family members in attendance were Cathy and Tim Roberts, daughter and
son-in-law of shipmate Ken Dry & his wife Janice. �Cathy & Tim were attending their 1st
Soley reunion.� Cathy had back surgery
shortly before the reunion and even though she had the staples removed from her
back the morning of 23 April, she told her doctor �I will not miss the
reunion�, and she didn�t, what a trooper.�
Also a special welcome to her husband Tim, who is a retired Chief
Gunners Mate. Both are now officially part of the Soley family.�
The first official
reunion event was a Welcome Reception at the hotel on Wednesday evening.� Everyone had a great time getting
reacquainted, meeting 1st timers and their wives, having a few
drinks and enjoying the hors d�oeuvres.
On Thursday, we
boarded motor coaches for a trip to Colonial Williamsburg for a guided walking
tour of the restored colonial capitol.�
The weather was great and everyone enjoyed the leisurely stroll down the
main street as our guide explained how our forefathers lived when our country
was in its infancy. �It was a great
history lesson.� �
On Friday, we
traveled by motor coach, first taking a riding tour of downtown Norfolk, which
has changed drastically (for the better) since most of us were stationed there
aboard the Soley. ��Our motor coach then
took us to Naval Station Norfolk, the largest naval base in the world.� As we entered the Base, a sailor boarded our
buses and took us on a narrated tour.� Of
course most of the buildings, as we had known them, had been replaced, but the
tour was very interesting, especially a ride by the Destroyer Piers where the
Soley was once home-ported.� We then had an excellent lunch at the Officers�
Club.� After departing the Base, we
headed back to the Norfolk waterfront for a
visit to Nauticus � The National Maritime Center.� The Center was filled with interactive
nautical and Navy exhibits. A fun time for all.�
Adjacent to Nauticus
is the USS Wisconsin, the largest US battleship ever built � now a museum
ship.� We toured the ship on our own and
then headed for the fantail for our Memorial Service.� Colors were presented by a local Junior ROTC
unit, all high school students.� They did
an excellent job and did us proud.��
Before our Master of Ceremonies, Jim Hawker, read the names of Soley
shipmates who have passed away since the last reunion, he presented a plaque
that he had professionally designed honoring Navy wives for all the sacrifices
they make while their spouses are away �fighting the war�.� In particular, the plaque paid a special
tribute to one of our own Soley wives, Heidi Olsen, who passed away several
years ago. Heidi was the wife of Bill Olsen, who served on the Soley as a BTFN,
51-53.� Bill was in attendance to witness
the unveiling of the plaque and was quite taken by it.� He expressed his heartfelt thank you for the
honor.� The plaque was displayed in the
Hospitality Room during the reunion, and will be brought back to each future
reunion for all to see.
Following the reading
of deceased shipmates, as Taps was being played by a Junior ROTC bugler, Pat
Kranack, widow of Mike Kranack, assisted by widows Ernestine Eble and Helene
Wallace and their daughters Lynn, and Paula, tossed the ceremonial wreath into
the Elizabeth River to honor our fallen shipmates.� During the reunion planning I was informed
that the Naval Base would be unable to provide the services of a Navy Chaplain
for our Service, as all of the Base Chaplains were away performing their duties
in support of our military operations around the World.� Jim Hawker agreed to step up and say the
appropriate prayers during the service.�
Thanks, Jim.
On Saturday morning
the City of Norfolk hosted a NATO festival that started with a parade a few
blocks from our hotel.� We were lucky
enough to get seats along the parade route, courtesy of our tour company and
the Convention & Visitors Bureau. �There were bands and floats from most NATO countries
in the parade.� It was great fun to
watch.� When the parade was over, we
adjourned to browse the many festival tents that had been set up in an
adjoining park for great food and souvenirs from around the World.
That evening we
attended the Virginia International Tattoo at the nearby Scope Arena.� The Tattoo is also part of the NATO festival,
and is held in Norfolk every April. It is a ceremonial performance of military
music by massed bands, pipes and drums, drill teams, Scottish dancers, choirs,
and more. The cast is over 700 strong from many NATO countries.� It was spectacular!
Sunday morning we
held our business meeting in the hospitality room.� And, for the 1st time, the Reunion
Committee decided that we should invite our wives, significant others, and
widows to participate in our business meetings.�
They are certainly a big part of our Soley family and should be
recognized for their contributions by voicing their opinions and voting on all
business issues.� They are now also
eligible for election to Committee positions. �In fact, during the meeting, 3 were voted in
as Reunion Committee members.
We then recognized
first time reunion attendees.� By all
accounts they all had a great time.�
Reports by the Reunion Coordinator, Secretary/Registrar, Treasurer,
Storekeeper, Historian and Webmaster were made.�
Items of interest were:� 40
shipmates passed away since the last reunion, while several new shipmates were
added to the Active Roster. �Our Treasurer
reported that we have plenty of money in our account to pay our bills and still
have a nice cushion in reserve.� I won�t
go into all the numbers, but we are certainly fiscally sound. Our Webmaster,
Frank Chesla, informed us that our website continues to see more than 1200 hits
per month.� He also reported that he is
continually updating our Rosters and that electronic copies are provided to all
Committee members.� The Soley Scoop, our
quarterly newsletter, under the editorship of Chuck Bruce continues to provide
members with interesting, informative and great �sea stories�.� Chuck asked that members continue to send him
new stories.� We also decided to query
members who have e-mail capability to see if they would be interested in
receiving their Scoop electronically, in PDF format.�
Elections were then
held to elect or re-elect Association Committee members for the coming 18
months.� The results of that election are
below.�� Potential sites for the next
reunion, to be held in the Fall of 2015, were voted on and the top two sites
were Myrtle Beach, SC, and Branson, MO.� I
have already begun� researching both
locations and will report my finding and recommendations to the Committee. The
site will then be voted on and selected by the Committee.� The site selection will be published in the
Soley Scoop as soon as it is known.� There
being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
Committee Members and
their Assistants elected for the coming 18 months are as follows:
�����������
� ����������Reunion Coordinator��������������� ��������� Mike Pollack
����������� Assistant Reunion Coordinator�������� Len Porter
����������� Treasurer�������������������������������� ��������� Shirley Brown
����������� Assistant Treasurer����������������� ��������� Jim Brown (Frank Hawkins, check
signing if needed)
Secretary/Registrar������������������ ��������� Skip Sharpe
����������� Assistant Secretary/Registrar�� ���������
Mike Pollack
����������� Historian��������������������������������� ��������� Jim Hawker
����������� Assistant Historian������������������ ���������� Len Porter
����������� Ship�s Store Operator������������� ���������� Pat Kranack
����������� Assistant Ship�s Store Operator������� Linda Folk
����������� SCOOP Editor������������������������� ����������
Chuck Bruce
����������� Assistant SCOOP Editor���������� ���������� Jim Hawker
����������� Webmaster������������������������������ ���������� Frank Chesla
����������� Assistant Webmaster��������������� ���������� Len Porter
Welcome Shirley Brown,
Pat Kranack, and Linda Folk, our 3 new Committee members.�� Also, a big thank you to Len Porter for
agreeing to serve in multiple Assistant positions.� Thanks, Len.
Our Banquet was on
Sunday evening at the hotel.� Jim Hawker
again stepped up as Master of Ceremonies, overseeing the evening�s
festivities.� Included were introductions
of our �Plank owners in Attendance�, our first-time attendees, and shipmates
who have attended the most reunions, ���After a fine meal, we had a special
treat.� The Commodores, a barbershop
harmony group, entertained us with songs from the good old days.� They were great and were enjoyed by all.
Following the
entertainment, there were 50/50 and raffle drawings.� Thanks to everyone who donated items and to
Dottie Vigna and her crew for selling many 50/50 and raffle tickets that raised
lots of money for the Association. For all her efforts over the years, the
Association presented Dottie with a certificate good for a free night�s lodging
while at the reunion.� Way to go Dottie. ��Also, thanks to Pat Kranack for putting
together a great raffle basket from the Ship�s Store that also raised lots of
cash.�
�
I�d also like to
thank my fellow committee members for volunteering their time and effort to
help keep the Association going on a day-to-day basis, and for all their hard
work leading up to and during the reunion.�
Another special thank you to Pat Kranack for carrying on with the operation
of our Ship�s Store after her husband Mike, our Storekeeper for many years,
passed away in January.� Pat and her
friend Rosemary (Chickie) sold a boatload (no pun intended) of merchandise
& ship�s store raffle tickets providing the Association with much welcomed
funds.� Thanks Chickie.� Hope to see you at the next reunion.
Of course any reunion
wouldn�t be a success without everyone�s support by attending. So thanks to all
that were there. �I look forward to seeing
you again next time.�
Everyone stay healthy
and spread the word about what a grand time we have at our reunions.
See you in the Fall
of 2015, in either Myrtle Beach or Branson.�
___________________
Mike Pollack
Reunion Coordinator